Android 9 Officially Announced, named ‘Pie’, Available for Pixel Devices, Added New Features: How to Download

It was too early more than the deadline date as Google officially announced the Android 9.0 with the name Pie to be the successor of the ongoing Android 8.0 Oreo. The latest Android version comes after the debut of five developer preview builds of Android P that are claimed to have been tested by more than 140,000 beta testers till date. The new software package which was previously speculated to debut as Pistachio Ice Cream, isn’t designed for Nexus models, including the Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P, and Pixel C. The Android Pie is certainly arriving first on Pixel handsets, including the original Pixel and Pixel XL as well as the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL.

The new Android 9 Pie platform, the successor to Android Oreo, has various improvements over the previous Android versions, but the most notable one is the gesture-based navigation system. This is highly inspired by the way the interface featured on the iPhone X last year and omits the traditional three-button navigation.

How to download Android 9 Pie On Google Pixel Devices

As we mentioned, Android 9 Pie is initially rolling out to Pixel devices, including the Pixel, Pixel XL, Pixel 2, and Pixel 2 XL. The update is already live as an over-the-air (OTA) package, and you can manually check its presence on your Pixel device by going to Settings > Software updates.

Google has additionally announced that companies participated in the Beta programme, namely Essential, HMD Global, OnePlus, Oppo, Sony, Vivo, and Xiaomi, will receive the update by the end of this fall. Notably, the Essential PH-1 has already been issued its update. Similarly, devices that are available under the Android One initiative will receive the update sometime around its rollout for the devices listed under the Beta programme. These include Essential PH-1, Nokia 7 Plus, OnePlus 6, Oppo R15 Pro, Sony Xperia XZ2, Vivo X21, Vivo X21 UD, and Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S.

ADDED FEATURES OF ANDROID 9 PIE

Gesture-Based Navigation System

Among other great features, Android 9 Pie brings a new system navigation that operates using a single home button – similar to how the iPhone X works. You can swipe up the home button to get into the Overview and view full-screen previews of your recently used apps.

There is also an enhanced Smart Text Selection feature that works recognises the meaning of the text you’ve selected to suggest your relevant actions such as opening Google Maps to see the reviews of a place or open Gmail to write an email. You can also swipe to switch between multiple apps. Additionally, you can press and hold the tiny home button to activate Google Assistant.

Adaptive Battery and Brightness

Android Pie has various machine learning inputs to enable features such as Adaptive Battery and Adaptive Brightness. Both features offer a personalised experience. Further, there is an App Actions feature that predicts what you’ll want to do next based on your context and display that action right on your device.

For instance, if you usually use Google Maps to navigate to work, the feature enables your device to automatically show you Google Maps navigation option when you’re preparing to commute to your work. The new Android version also includes an upgraded Do Not Disturb mode that allows you to turn off all visual interruptions.

Security

Security in Android P is also touted to be largely improved over Android Oreo. There is an improved security model for biometrics as well as privacy improvements such as TLS by default and DNS over TLS to protect web communications.

At I/O 2018 in May, Google announced its features that makes the Android 9 pie superior over others. You can click here to see all the features and how they work.